The Caribbean’s next generation of tourism leaders must get ready to lead the industry now. This is according to Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Charles Fernandez, who was the featured speaker at the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) held at the Atlantic Suites by Hyatt in Kingston, Georgetown on Monday.
Fernandez challenged the familiar phrase that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. Rather, he said, they are in the room and must be allowed to be the leaders of today.
“There’s something we say to young people all the time, you’re the leaders of tomorrow. We do mean well when we say it, but I want us to stop saying that because the future is not tomorrow, the future is today” he said.
He warned that telling young people their moment will come later could mean failing to give them opportunities to lead now. For Minister Fernandez, that leadership starts with changing how young people view tourism.
“Don’t only ask where could I get a job in tourism, ask where can I create value in tourism, ask what problems can I solve,” he said.
That could mean a farmer becoming part of the tourism supply chain, a web developer creating tools for visitors, or a content creator telling Caribbean stories to audiences around the world. He said the region’s tourism is more than hotels, it is agriculture, transportation, technology, entertainment, music, fashion, communities, the very essence of what makes Caribbean people.
Meanwhile, Tobago’s Junior Minister of Tourism, Jole St. John, similarly stressed the importance of mentorship and collaboration, urging tourism stakeholders to give young people access to knowledge, resources and meaningful opportunities.
“Our greatest strength as a region does not come from competing against one another but in what we can accomplish collectively,” St. John said.
Source: NEW ROOMS SITE
